Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom

Modern

Introduction
“You shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he lacks.” (Devarim 15:8)
This verse is the foundation of the Torah’s approach to tzedakah. Hashem commands us not merely to give charity, but to ensure that every Jew’s essential needs are met with dignity and compassion. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that the Torah establishes a clear order of responsibility. Tzedakah is not left to emotion or public opinion; it follows a Divine system built upon three pillars.
1. Relatives First
The Gemara (Nedarim 65b) teaches that when a person falls into poverty, he does not immediately become the responsibility of the public. His relatives are obligated to help him first. Family members know his circumstances best and can often provide assistance quickly, privately, and with dignity. The Torah therefore places the first responsibility upon the family before anyone else.
2. The Community Second
If the relatives cannot provide sufficient support, the obligation passes to the community. The community also bears responsibilities that belong to it from the outset, such as ensuring Torah education for children from poor families. Rabbi Hirsch explains that these are communal obligations because they preserve the future of the Jewish people.
3. Individual Benevolence Third
Alongside family and communal responsibility stands the obligation of every individual Jew to perform acts of kindness. Many personal needs cannot be addressed through a public charity fund. Quiet, personal assistance often preserves a person’s dignity far better than public support. These acts of gemilus chasadim complete the Torah’s framework of compassion.
Tzedakah Is a Duty
Rabbi Hirsch emphasizes that tzedakah is not simply an emotional act of generosity. It is an obligation rooted in justice. One who has the ability to help and refuses bears responsibility before Hashem. Our Sages therefore established ma’aser as the minimum standard of giving, reminding us that our possessions are entrusted to us by Hashem and that a portion belongs to those in need.
Conclusion – The Missing Link
The Torah’s three pillars establish not only who is responsible, but also what comes first.
When relatives are unable to provide enough assistance, the responsibility passes to the community. At that point, the community’s highest priority is to ensure that families and individuals have their basic necessities—food, rent, utilities, clothing, medical care, and other essential living expenses.
This does not diminish the importance of Torah learning. Torah remains the foundation of Jewish life, and Torah institutions must continue to flourish. However, before expanding communal programs, free meals, special events, or projects that enhance the community’s image, the Torah requires that no family be left hungry, cold, or unable to pay its basic bills.
This may be one of the missing links in many communities today. Communities often excel at supporting institutions and worthwhile causes, while families quietly struggling with groceries, rent, utility bills, and other necessities remain unnoticed. Rabbi Hirsch reminds us that the first purpose of communal tzedakah is to care for people in need.
Final Reflection: Applying the Three Pillars in the Modern World
The Torah’s three pillars of tzedakah—family, community, and the individual—are timeless. Their principles never change, but every generation must ensure that they are applied according to the Torah’s priorities rather than personal emotion, social pressure, or human agendas.
The Family
Relatives must put aside old arguments, hurt feelings, jealousy, pride, and family history. Too often a wealthy brother, sister, cousin, or uncle refuses to help because of past disagreements. The Torah does not permit personal ego to override family responsibility.
Likewise, a wealthy relative should not excuse himself by saying, “I already gave twenty percent to tzedakah.”
If he is financially comfortable, spending large sums on home renovations, luxury purchases, expensive vacations, or other discretionary projects while close relatives struggle to buy food, pay rent, or keep the lights on, he has misunderstood the Torah’s priorities. The obligation to help needy relatives comes before increasing one’s standard of living. Technical compliance with a percentage of charitable giving does not replace the Torah’s first obligation to one’s own family.
The Community
The community must likewise guard itself against misplaced priorities. Its policies should never be determined solely by wealthy donors, personal agendas, public recognition, or ideological movements, however well intentioned they may be.
Even rabbis and communal leaders must continually measure every decision against the Torah’s priorities. The first responsibility of communal funds is to ensure that struggling families have food on the table, electricity, heat, rent, clothing, and other basic necessities. Only after those needs are met should additional communal projects, public programs, or enhancements receive priority.
The Individual
Every individual must also guard against judging others.
A person should never say, “I worked hard for my success. If he worked as hard as I did, he would not be poor.”
No human being truly knows another person’s opportunities, health, upbringing, abilities, emotional burdens, family circumstances, or the tests that Hashem has given him. We are not appointed to judge why someone became poor. We are commanded to help him.
Supporting Source – Ahavat Chesed, Part II, Chapter 20
The Chafetz Chaim reinforces this principle. Chazal established that a person should generally not give away more than one-fifth of his assets so that he himself does not become dependent upon others. However, the Poskim explain that this limitation was never intended for one who possesses exceptional wealth, nor does it exempt a wealthy person from fulfilling his obligations toward needy relatives.
א. איתא בכתובות נ. התקינו חז”ל בנושא: המבזבז – אל יבזבז יותר מחומש, שמא יצטרך לבריות; אם לא מי שהוא עשיר מופלג. ומשמע בפוסקים, דעליו לא היה התקנה (עיין בבבא קמא ט. בתוספות דבור המתחיל אילימא, ובחכמת אדם הלכות צדקה כלל קמ”ד סעיף י’). וכן לבזבז קודם מותו, שבזה לא שייך שמא יצטרך לבריות, גם כן מותר לבזבז הרבה (ביורה דעה רמ”ט סעיף א’ בהגהת פסק, יכול לחלק קודם מותו כמה שירצה).
ועיין באחרונים שהביאו, יש אומרים, עד שלישיתו או עד מחצה, ולא יותר, כדאמרינן (כתובות ס”ז:) במר עוקבא, שאמר קודם מותו, כשחשבונו בצדקה שעשה בימי חייו, אמר: אורחא רחיקתא וצידה קלה, ופלגיניה לנכסיה לצדקה (הדרך רחוקה והצידה קלה, וחלק את נכסיו לצדקה).
Closing Thought
The Torah’s system is remarkably balanced. The family comes first. The community comes second. The individual comes third. Each pillar has a unique responsibility, but all three must constantly resist human bias.
Families must overcome ego. Communities must overcome misplaced priorities. Individuals must overcome judgment.
Only when these three pillars operate according to the Torah’s order—not according to wealth, prestige, emotion, or public recognition—does tzedakah achieve its true purpose: ensuring that every Jew can live with dignity while building a society founded upon justice, compassion, and responsibility.

A Modern Question for Our Generation
Another challenge in our generation deserves careful consideration. Modern tax planning, business structures, and credit card reward programs have created situations that earlier generations never encountered. Some business owners accumulate millions of airline miles, hotel points, cashback rewards, or other personal benefits through business spending. While these arrangements may be completely legal and may reduce taxes or provide legitimate business advantages, they raise an important question regarding tzedakah.
If a person enjoys substantial personal benefits that effectively replace expenses he would otherwise have paid from his own pocket, should those benefits also be considered when determining his charitable obligations? The fact that the IRS may not classify those rewards as taxable income does not automatically determine one’s obligations according to Torah law. Winning under the tax code does not necessarily mean one has fulfilled his responsibilities before Hashem.
This is an area that deserves serious discussion with a knowledgeable Orthodox rav who is well versed in the halachos of tzedakah and modern finance. A Jew’s responsibility is measured not only by what the government considers taxable income, but also by the blessings and financial benefits that Hashem has placed in his hands. Legal tax planning should never become a means of unintentionally reducing one’s obligation to support the poor. When in doubt, one should seek halachic guidance to ensure that financial creativity does not come at the expense of the Torah’s timeless command: “You shall surely open your hand to him.”
This is not presented as a definitive halachic ruling, but as a contemporary question that should be carefully evaluated according to Torah law.